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Brian Howard (footballer)

Brian Howard
Brian Howard cska.jpg
In PFC CSKA Sofia colours, 2013
Personal information
Full name Brian Richard William Brotherton Howard
Date of birth (1983-01-23) 23 January 1983 (age 34)
Place of birth Winchester, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1999–2001 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Southampton 0 (0)
2003–2005 Swindon Town 70 (9)
2005–2009 Barnsley 121 (27)
2008–2009 Sheffield United (loan) 15 (1)
2009 Sheffield United 15 (1)
2009–2012 Reading 59 (2)
2011 Millwall (loan) 12 (0)
2012–2013 Portsmouth 23 (0)
2013 Bristol City 6 (0)
2013 CSKA Sofia 11 (0)
2014 Birmingham City 5 (1)
2014 Oxford United 7 (0)
2015 Eastleigh 18 (0)
2015–2016 Alresford Town 15 (4)
2016–2017 Romsey Town 9 (0)
2017 Whitehawk 4 (0)
National team
1999–2000 England U16 4 (0)
2000–2001 England U17 4 (0)
2001 England U19 1 (0)
2003 England U20 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:51, 13 January 2017 (UTC).

Brian Richard William Brotherton Howard (born 23 January 1983) is an English footballer who last played as a midfielder for Whitehawk. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League, and also played for Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia. Internationally, he represented England from under-16 to under-20 level.

Howard started his career as a trainee with Premier League club Southampton, but he was released in 2003 without making a first-team appearance. He trained with Chelsea, who offered him a contract, but while he was away with the England under-20 team, the club was taken over by Roman Abramovich and several top players were signed. Howard chose to turn down Chelsea's offer, preferring the prospect of playing regularly in a lower division, and signed a one-year deal with Division Two (third-tier) club Swindon Town. Howard made his Football League debut on 9 August in a 3–2 home defeat against Sheffield Wednesday, and scored his first Swindon goal on 1 October, an 89th-minute equaliser against Luton Town. In his first season, Howard scored four goals from 41 appearances in all competitions as Swindon lost to Brighton & Hove Albion in the play-off semifinals.

Howard's contract was extended for a further year ahead of the 2004–05 season. He was used in a more central role in midfield rather than on the wing, a change which pleased the player. As Swindon finished in mid-table, Howard finished the season with six goals from 42 appearances, having missed the last three games of the season with a broken bone in his foot. Budget restrictions meant manager Andy King chose not to offer Howard a new contract; he expressed his disappointment that a team with potential was being broken up because of finance.


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